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Schenker’s Concept(s) Schenker’s Concept(s) ofof
Melody Melody
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1. The Tonic Triad as Matrix
•Notes of the tonic triad are the most stable and form a compositional grid/matrix.•Others generally less stable (e.g. LT, upper LT; ^4 often functions as N or PT)2. Melodic descent: falling motion is the most natural, providing closure/completion.
3. Melodic fluency = stepwise or predominantly stepwise motion
4. Melodic prolongation: tones in melodically fluent lines can remain active in the eareven when they are not sounding
Bach Chorale 198: Christus, der uns selig macht
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Beethoven, Sonata in E-flat Major, Op. 27, no. 1 (III)
5. In great music, structural tones connect to form melodically fluent lines.
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6. Structure vs. ornament: Schenker theory distinguishes structural tones \ from ornamental tones; works therefore have structural levels/layers.
7. A dissonant note is never a structurally important tone (and is generally
incapable of further prolongation).
Beethoven Sonata in A-flat Major, Op. 26
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8. Melodic Prolongation: structural tones can be prolonged (aural retention of a tone)techniques = (NN), linear progressions, (stepwise lines leading into or away from the structural note), et al.
Bach: Subject from WTC I, C# minor Fugue
9. Compound or Polyphonic Melody: Leaps often suggest two (or more)
melodically fluent voices in different registers. 10. Horizontalization: Melodies can horizontalize chords: ^5 ^5 PT ^3 PT ^1
11. Composing-Out: Structural lines often horizontalize (compose out) the tonic triad.
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Schubert, Impromptu in B-flat Major
13. Å compound melody dominated by leaps can often suggest two underlying fluent melodic lines.
12. Compound melody or polyphonic melody often suggests long-range voice-leading connections between nonadjacent tones.
14. To Schenker, a melodic leap is often not a mere skip, but a temporary switch to an inner voice.
^3 ^2 ^1
15. Upward leaps can therefore mean that an inner voice has been “flipped” or transferred above the structural melody.
S S
A A
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Schubert, Impromptu in B-flat Major
16. Interruption: Antecedant/Consequent Structures often suggest two melodic descents, one incomplete, breaking off at ^2, the descending leading tone, the other a complete descent to ^1.
^4=NN ̂ 3 ^2
^3 ^4=NN ̂ 3 ^2 ^1
^3
17. Substitution. Schenker sometimes infers a note that is not prominent or even present.
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Mozart, Sonata in F Major
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^5 prolonged by chordal skips
^5 prolonged by NN
^5 prolongedby filling in ^5-^3(linear progresson)
Melodically fluent structuralMelody ^5-^4-^3-^2-^1
^2 prolongedby choral skips
I ________________________ Parallel 6ths connect V7 I I to II6 (interm) smoothly
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